Chuck vs His Reality
by Go-Chuck-Go
Summary: Bryce has warned Chuck that Casey and Sarah may be assigned to kill him. Chuck is forced to come to the realization that Sarah who has his heart, may be the one forced to put a bullet in his head. Please leave a review. It helps with the writing process.
1. Chapter 1 Nightmares

**Scene 1: Nightmares**

**Buy More Sales Floor, Encino CA**

"Man Up Bartowski," snarled Casey, as Chuck entered Buy More for another day of work.

"Yeah, I got it Casey," grimaced Chuck, with his shoulders slumped as if he had the weight of the world upon them.

"Your nightmares are keeping me up Bartowski. Do I need to have Agent Walker tuck you in, so I can get some sleep?"

Embarrassment made Chuck's face turn red. "Don't tell Sarah," replied Chuck quickly. He didn't want Sarah knowing about his nightmares. Nor did he want her to know that he had been keeping Casey up, with what Casey described as his girl like wails.

Trying to hide his discomfort, Chuck retorted, "Well Casey, you could always remove the bugs from my room. Then we both might get some peace."

Casey narrowed his eyes at Chuck's tone. The agent started to tell Chuck what an irritant he was, but softened as he took in the younger man's haggard face. While the agent wasn't about to admit to it, he knew about nightmares too.

Resigned, Casey offered, "Chuck in our line of work, nightmares are a professional pitfall. You need to suck it up. It's useless to feel afraid. The feeling only makes you hesitate and hesitation will get you killed. Just remember the assignment and focus. You'll pull through."

Casey felt a bit awkward after his admission and punched Chuck in the arm. He quickly left to find a customer to help.

Chuck frowned as he rubbed his aching arm. He wished it was that easy.

"Have you become that weirdo's personal punching bag," asked Morgan, from behind.

Chuck turned to his friend Morgan. "Yeah, just call me Chuck Punchoutski."

Morgan saw Chuck's weary expression and sprouted a devilish look in his eye. Morgan gave Chuck a sly smile and asked, "So, did the lady keeping you up too late? It must have been a mind blowing, body exploding experience for you to look this bad, my man. No sleepy for the winkie, eh Chuck?"

Chuck grimaced. "Go help a customer Morgan. I am not going to talk about my sex life with you." Morgan was about to reply, when his eyes bulged and he scampered away.

Chuck was puzzled by Morgan's reaction. But realized immediately what had caused his friend to scamper away when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"What sex life were you referring to Chuck?" quipped Sarah, with amusement in her voice.

Chuck grimaced. "Your timing is excellent, as usual."

"Yep."

She absently brushed an errant curl from Chuck's temple. Chuck was uncomfortable with her familiarity. She grinned, pleased by his reaction. Even after knowing each other for months, she could still make him nervous, with just a small touch.

"Anything I should know about?" She was concerned by the worry in his eyes.

"Sarah, I'm working. No, and stop playing with my hair." She enjoyed Chuck's awareness of her proximity. She smiled and said, 'We will talk about it tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight, we have a briefing. A date will be our cover. The briefing won't last that long. Afterwards, we an go somewhere and you can tell me what's bothering you. Now kiss me."

Chuck's eyes bulged and he grimaced under his breath, "I don't like people watching."

"But that's the point Chuck. People have to watch in order for them to see that we're a couple." Sarah grabbed Chuck's tie and pulled his face close and forced his lips to hers. She sighed when he gave her an awkward peck on the lips.

She looked at his face for a moment and frowned. "Chuck you need some sleep." She gave him a reassuring smile an released him. She left with thoughts of their date planned for later, dancing through her head.

Chuck watched Sarah leave. When he was with Sarah his anxiety disappeared.

However once he was alone, his worry sprouted. If only he could tell her. If only he could tell anyone. He wasn't afraid that there was some unknown bad guy after him. Instead, he's was afraid that Casey and Sarah were planning to kill him.

It had started with Lazlo. The crazed man had warned him about Casey and Sarah. But he didn't believe the man's words. Not really.

But he couldn't ignore it, when Bryce voiced the same concern. Not that he trusted Bryce that much. But Bryce's warning had worried him because it made sense. He had witnessed so many dark things recently. Having barely glimpsed this darker world, he knew it would be fool hearty to dismiss all of Bryce's warnings.

He remembered his trepidation, when Bryce explained that while he was now an asset to the government, he could quickly become a liability.

"What does the government do with liabilities?"

"What do you think they do Chuck? You're speaking to a resurrected man whose loving ex-girlfriend is now happily partnered to the guy who killed him."

'Are you saying that I can't trust Sarah or Casey?"

"No Chuck. I'm saying that they are professionals, and they follow orders. They might not like what those orders are, but they will follow them. Protect yourself Chuck."

"Even from Sarah?"

"Especially from Sarah. She was assigned to you because she's a girl and can gain your trust. She's been trained to break hearts Chuck. She's had years of training to know how to make men do what she wants. Remember that."

"You sound like you don't like Sarah."

"I like her fine, Chuck. It just that I did you wrong by sending you the Intersect. I did it. I can't change it. So the very least I can do, is make you understand your reality. This way, you might be able to protect yourself, " explained Bryce. How long has it been since I sent you the Intersect?"

"Three months."

"Well Fulcrum always knew that the CIA and NSA was capable of rebuilding the Intersect in six months. That means you have three more months of usefulness and then you become a liability to the government, once the new intersect comes on-line."

"During the next three months, you need to prove your worth Chuck. If you don't, you'll have a bullet between the eyes and either Casey or Sarah will be the one pulling the trigger."

"So I'm dead in three months? Is that what you are telling me Bryce?"

"No Chuck. I'm saying that you need to work on being an asset. Help Casey and Sarah. Show them your worth. You're a likable guy. They know the score. They'll want to write up reports showing your worth. But if it doesn't pan out, you'll need an escape plan."

"What do you mean?"

'I mean that you might need to run. Disappear. Hide Chuck. Because Casey, Sarah or someone else will eventually be assigned to kill you. The government can't have a nerd herder walking around openly with all their secrets in his head. Recognize the reality of your situation. Make an escape plan.'

These words haunted Chuck. It tore at his insides and filled his sleep with nightmares. Every word that Casey or Sarah spoke, he fretted over. He looked for double meanings. Were they planning his assassination?

Sarah had his heart. He had fallen for her even before their kiss on the pier. He just hadn't realized it until that seemingly endless moment, when she kissed him.

Had she already received her assignment to kill him, when he asked her about their relationship under the truth serum?

The worry was making him angry and confused. She wanted to talk, but how could he explain? How could he explain that his nightmares were about losing his heart to the very person that may have been assigned to kill him?

Could Bryce be wrong? He had to know the truth.


	2. Chapter 2 Big Mike Abounds

**Scene 2 -Big Mike Abounds**

"Chuck!" yelled Big Mike over the PA system. "In the theatre room now.'

Chuck went into the theatre room and saw a shipping box on the table. "Chuck I need you to take care of this package. Send it back to Corporate," grumbled Big Mike.

"What is it" asked Chuck, in puzzlement.

"Ah hell. This box contains ten of the sweet babies alive. They are the ultimate in stealth. Movement sensing video. The CU-NOW7. Pure magic. Video equipment the size of a package of cigarettes. They make the spy world cringe because it gives the common man surveillance capability at their level. These babies were going to be our top Christmas seller. But now I'm sending them back because some bozo in the Van Nuys store tried to video the woman's bathroom. It's a big lawsuit and now the suits upstairs are warning all the stores. Knowing the bozos in this store, I can't let them know I have these babies. It'd be anarchy," replied Big Mike.

"Pretty spy like stuff eh?" Chuck grinned at the irony of the moment.

"Oh the resolution on these babies let you get up and…ah... never mind Bartowski. Just pack them up and ship them back to Corporate. All are here except one. It's was uh broken. I got rid of it."

Chuck grabbed the box and fiddled with the cameras. He realized that they might be handy. But he couldn't buy one, since Big Mike was returning them.

Disappointed, he returned to the sales floor. He saw that Morgan was actually about to make a sale to a pair of deadheads. Chuck grinned. Morgan needed a sale. Any sale. He noticed that Morgan had started to waive him over.

"Chuck, go get the 'Ted Nugent Live in HD' dvd in the theatre room. These guys will buy this prime 52" Plasma, if they can see the Ted Nugent dvd. Hurry!"

Chuck ran into the Theatre room and started flipping through the DVDs in the room. Most were unmarked. He slid an unmarked dvd into one of the media players, and was shocked, when Big Mike appeared s on all the screens having sex with a woman.

From outside the theatre room, he heard Sarah calling his name. He rushed to the DVD player frantically trying to stop Big Mike's video from playing. He started banging on the DVD player and was able to stop the show as Sarah walked through the door.

"Hi Chuck"

"Sarah," screeched Chuck, obviously caught doing something.

"What are you doing," asked Sarah, dubiously.

"Ah...I don't like porno. Well I do like porno. But not with girls. I mean I don't like watching Big Mike doing porno with girls. But I would like it, but with no guys, but with girls...," babbled Chuck, incoherently.

'You were watching Big Mike in a porno," asked Sarah, in shock.

'Yep,' gulped Chuck.

"Okay."

She hesitated for a second, not knowing what to say. Finally, she decided it was best to ignore the entire situation.

"I'm leaving Wienerlicous now. There has been a change in plan. We'll still have a date. I'll pick you up at 8 pm and have dinner. But you don't need to go to the late night briefing," explained Sarah.

"You don't need me for the briefing?" He looked hurt.

"Not tonight Chuck. You're a civilian tonight." She automatically walked up to Chuck, and pressed a goodbye kiss on his cheek.

At the door, Sarah realized that she kissed Chuck without thinking. She was confused by her own gesture since there was no need to show physical affection for their cover. She walked out of the room somewhat puzzled by her actions.

Chuck was also confused by Sarah's behavior. Suddenly it occurred to him that Sarah automatically kissed him goodbye, like someone in a real relationship would do. He couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face. Did it mean that she had feelings for him? His smiled disappeared, when a second less optimistic thought appeared in his head. Could the kiss be, 'a Judas kiss."

From outside the Theatre Room, Chuck heard Morgan and his customers chanting, "Ted, Ted, Ted…."

He remembered that he was in the Theatre Room to help Morgan. His musings forgotten, Chuck rushed to the dvd drawer, found the Ted Nugent DVD and delivered it to Morgan.


	3. Chapter 3  Fluffy Fedora

Scene 3- Fluffy Fedora

Chuck was on the sales floor trying to ignore that Morgan was alone in the closed theatre room. He didn't know what Morgan was doing, but he was worried that his friend would find the hidden NSA equipment. He was about to check on him, when he saw Morgan dramatically push back the theatre room drapes and saunter out of the room.

"I never thought a big man like Mike would have those types of moves. Big Mike really is BIG MIKE. I wouldn't sit on the theatre sofa for awhile," offered Morgan, excitedly.

"Our sofa?" Chuck's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yeah, didn't you realize where Big Mike was getting his mojo on when you saw the tape?"

"No," squeaked Chuck. "I didn't realize it was our sofa in the theatre room."

"Yeah, Big Mike has the theatre room rigged, hollywood style. That sly dog. He must have forgotten one of tapes from his casting couch sessions. Twenty-one screens of getting his groove on. How do you think he keeps his fluffy fedora pimp cap on the whole time?"

Chuck was amazed at his luck. "Wait Morgan, show me where the camera is rigged right now!"

-o-

Morgan and Chuck entered the theatre room. Morgan pointed out where the camera was along and how to make the timer work.

"So are you planning to do some performing yourself with your lady later?"

"Uh…yeah, Morgan. Maybe."

"Well Chuck I'm proud of you. Your becoming a man. If you need some editing help…."

"Morgan stop. TMI. Just like your Ellie dreams," replied Chuck.

"Yeah bro…I understand."

The two nerd herders were interrupted by Casey, who walked into the theater room. "What are you two morons doing?"

"I am telling Morgan that his dreams about my sister is too much information," replied Chuck, irritably.

Chuck turned to Morgan and gestured to him meaningfully. "Don't tell anyone about these dreams Morgan. I'm serious. No one should know."

Morgan understood Chuck's attempt to conceal the camera by talking code. "Yes Sir, My Capitan!' and rushed out of the theatre room, ignoring Casey's presence.

Casey was going to yell at Chuck, but saw the young man's tired face. He softened. He knew how hard it was to not be able to sleep.

"Bartowski, I was a bit hard on you earlier. Nightmares are tough. I have something here that will put you out like a light. " Casey gave Chuck several pills.

"These babies will put you out for six to eight hours. Pronto. You need to be laying down when you take them though. They work super fast. You'll have a few minutes of being lucid but unable to move and then whamo you're out. Don't be standing when they hit. You'll hit your head when you fall."

'Wow Casey. Where did you get these from?"

"The spy girls use them for their marks."

Intrigued, Chuck asked, "What are they called?"

"Sweet dreams. What else would they be called? Anyway, I thought they might be helpful for a few nights. No nightmares. Get some sleep Bartowski. You're an ugly mug to look at."

"Thanks Casey. I'll definitely will use them."

Casey left the theatre room. Recognizing that he was alone, Chuck covertly went to the hidden camera and flipped the power switch to Big Mike's video equipment. He knew this would answer his questions regarding the intent of his handlers. He just couldn't be caught. He quickly scampered out of the room, before either of his handlers started to question what he was doing.


	4. Chapter 4 Angry Hearts

Scene 4- Angry Hearts

Sarah screeched to a stop in her Porsche, outside of Chuck's apartment. He was waiting at the curb.

He walked over to her car and offered a greeting. "Hey Sarah!" He peered into the open passenger window, attempting to ignore Sarah's plunging neckline.

"Get in Chuck," quippled Sarah, who couldn't avoid smiling. She was pleased by his reaction to her outfit. Returning his gaze, she stared at his mess of unruly hair with affection. She spied her favorite lock of unruly hair and has a sudden urge to run her fingers through it.

She unlocked the door and Chuck climbed in with difficulty. His knees and elbows barely fit into her small car. Unable to resist the urge, she reached out and tucked back the lock of hair, that had caught her eye.

"Hey now," blurted Chuck, as he grabbed Sarah's hand. He doesn't know what to do with her hand. After hesitating for a seconds, he lets it drop.

She was amused and playfully quipped, "Boyfriends are supposed to greet their girlfriends with a kiss."

Frustrated by her teasing, Chuck testily replied, "Are fake boyfriends supposed to kiss their fake girlfriends when there is no one around?" The car suddenly filled with tension.

Sarah ignored Chuck's comments and started the car. "Let's go to that little Italian place. Morgan won't find us there."

"Okie-dokie." Sarah sped away from the curb fast.

In the restaurant, both are uncomfortable and the conversation was stilted. Finally, Chuck being the most visibly uncomfortable, relented.

"I hate it when we're like this, Sarah."

Sarah gave him a blank look. She didn't want to have this conversation. However, Chuck looked adamant. He was not going to let the topic go. She grimaced and asked, "Like what?"

"You're playing dumb, Sarah. I hate it. I feel like I'm the last one to know the joke. Or I have something on my nose, and you're not telling me."

Sarah grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Chuck. It's just that we're in an awkward situation. It's difficult. Our cover is to pretend to have romantic feelings. And no, you don't have anything on your nose."

She reached across the table and gave his hand a squeeze.

"See! Why did you do that? You tell me that our cover is to have romantic feeling, but that there is no connection between us. Fine, I can deal with that. But then you constantly touch me...even when the cover doesn't require it. You tell me you don't have feelings, but then you kiss me like I'm the last man on earth. Which is it Sarah? Because I'm not a yo-yo. Do I listen to what you say, or what you do?"

She closed her eyes, to calm her nerves. "Chuck I'm assigned to protect you. Everything that I do is to promote the idea that we are a couple. But I have to be clear. I cannot have a relationship of any kind with you, outside the cover. There is no hope for it."

"No hope? You do things that are way beyond our cover. Do you have feelings for me or not? Or do you mean that you don't have any hope for me?"

Not sure she understood, Sarah realized that Chuck was pushing her into a conversation where she would have to explain her behavior. This was unacceptable. It required her to expose her feelings and it could comprise the mission.

Her training kicked into gear, and she realized that she had to distract him. Sarah leaned into Chuck and sexily breathed into his ear. Chuck was mesmerized by the gesture. _Was she admitting that she has feelings for him? Could they really be together?_

She stopped suddenly and said, "I've been trained to manipulate marks without any feelings. I am very believable."

Immediately, Chuck stood up, knocking over the water glasses on the table. He was visibly hurt. Sarah sucked in her breath. She didn't mean it like that. She was trying to protect herself, by distracting him.

"Chuck, I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, you did. You know I'm tired of this. You use your body as a weapon. You use it against me."

The maitre d' arrives. Hearing Chuck, he looked over at Sarah and nodded knowingly.

Sarah glared at the Maitre d'. She doesn't need another man agreeing with Chuck.

She retorted, "That's not true, and its a really mean thing to say." The Maitre d' left.

"Well it is true. Isn't that what they trained you to do in spy school Sarah?" ' He threw several dollars on the table, and began to walk out of the restaurant.

'Wait Chuck," cried Sarah. She was forced to chase Chuck, through the restaurant. "I drove you here remember?'

'What? You don't think I'm man enough to make it home by myself?"

'No, I didn't mean that. It's just my duty to protect you. That means that I can't let you walk the streets of West LA by yourself. Come on, let me drive you home and you can steam in the car."

Chuck relented and they drove to his apartment in silence. Sarah covertly peeked at Chuck through the corner of her eye. She was worried. _How badly had her words hurt him?_

She stopped the car in front of the house, and started to reach for Chuck's hand.

"Stop. Don't touch me," demanded Chuck.

"It's part of the cover," replied the agent.

"No. Not here it isn't. Who's watching us now, Sarah?"

There was no one around, and they both knew it.

"Your using your body to control me. Did they teach you that in girl spy school, Sarah?"

Chastised, Sarah removed her hand. "I am not, Chuck." She heard the defensiveness in her own voice. She remembered her old instructor insisting on establishing a pattern of physical contact, when manipulating a mark. Was she doing this to Chuck? Her words caught in her throat.

He angrily ejected himself the car. Sarah watched him stalk away. How could she have let the situation get so out of control. Wasn't she trained to manipulate men? Why couldn't she control Chuck? She hit her steering wheel in frustration. Heartsick, she started up the car. Before she pulled away from the curb, she softly whispered, "I'm sorry, Chuck."

She sped off to Buy More for her late night briefing.


	5. Chapter 5 Assignment Lost, Hearts Broken

-1 Scene 5: Assignments Lost, Hearts Broken

Sarah storms into the Buy More Theatre room. Casey observes her stomping and subsequent flop onto the couch.

"What's wrong Walker? It looks like someone ran over your puppy."

She eyes him icily.

"Ah, it must be our boy. The nim-wit that he is. He sure can press your buttons Walker."

"Shut up Casey. Have they come on-line yet? Do you know why they asked for Chuck not be here?"

"No they haven't come on-line and yeah, its strange that they asked for irritant not to be here."

The generals come onto the television screen.

"Agent Walker, Major Casey. We've asked you to this briefing late night briefing because their has been a change in status with the asset."

Sarah covertly holds her breath. This doesn't sound good for Chuck. Her nerves are on edge. She needs to maintain her composure.

Unbeknownst to Sarah, Casey begins to fiddle with the theatre controls. He too is worried about the moron. But he can't let anyone know he cares. He pulls out his gun and a rag and starts cleaning his gun to calm his nerves.

"It seems that Mr. Bartowski's cover is blown in the intelligence community. It's sooner than we expected and the new Intersect isn't completed yet. As such, we need to keep him alive for a few more days, but with this latest development… too many rogue intelligence entities will be pursuing Mr. Bartowski. You both will be hard pressed to keep him in your possession."

Sarah quickly replies, "We can bring him to Langley." Her heart is racing. She has to find a way to protect Chuck.

"No Agent Walker, we can't bring him in. Langley isn't safe. We don't know who Fulcrum has compromised. He could be in more danger here than he is with you on the West Coast."

Casey evenly inquires, "What is our assignment?"

"Major Casey, you may have to do what you do best. I recognize that you both have spent some significant time with the asset. We normally wouldn't ask this of you, but its for National Security. We can't let the asset get into the wrong hands. And right now, we just don't know who is involved in Fulcrum. There are no safe houses safe enough for him. Major Casey, Agent Walker, you need to terminate the asset. We'll verify the schedule later in the week. Larkin is working on something now to neutralize the situation but it does not look promising."

Neither Casey or Sarah acknowledge their new assignment. Casey turns off the television screen and puts away the communication box. Both are struggling to maintain their composure.

They leave the theatre room and walk out into the deserted Buy More sales floor. Sarah asks, "Do you think its safe?" Casey indicates no and gives her a military signal. She nods and they leave Buy More.

Safely away from Buy More, both Casey and Sarah sit in her car on a deserted back alley.

Sarah evenly asks, "Can you believe the new assignment?"

Casey shrugs and says "I'm going to miss the moron." He pauses, then looks at Sarah who sits woodenly behind the steering wheel. He asks, "Can you do it?"

Sarah replies without any visible cues, "No." She moves slightly and then asks "Can you?"

Casey stares at Sarah for a long while. He then smiles a bit and says, "Agent Walker, do you want me to tell you the truth or lie…since you have a gun pointing at my chest?"

Instantly there is a fight for the gun in the car. Sarah fights fiercely but Casey is able to throw her gun out the window. The agents stop fighting suddenly and pull away from each other. Both are breathing heavily.

"Casey I don't need a gun to kill you."

"I know. But now I can at least tell you the truth without your gun pointed at my chest. This way you might actually believe me." Sarah looks at Casey warily.

"I can't kill Chuck either."

They stare at each other. Casey opens the car door and retrieves Sarah's gun. He gives it back to her.

Sarah asks, 'What am I going to do?"

Casey responds, 'I don't know.' He pauses then asks ' You care for him?'

Sarah closes her eyes and then mumbles, 'Yes, but I don't know what's that's worth. I've lived my life as a lie. I barely can recognize what are my true feelings anymore. With Chuck I feel normal. I feel like I might be capable of love. After all these years in the spy business, do you think you could recognize what love is?"

Casey is silent for a moment and then offers, "I might of once. This business tears at your soul. I see why your attracted to Chuck. He's untarnished. But Walker he can't stay that way.."

"I know."

"Does he know how you feel?"

"He suspects. But my training is keeping him at bay.'

"You know it'll never work. If they knew about your feelings, they would pull him away from you so fast, you 're head would spin."

Near tears, Sarah responds, "I guess it doesn't matter now. They're going to get rid of him anyway.'

Casey is at a loss for what to say. Finally, he bellows, " Walker, the game isn't up yet. Bryce is out there and we're here. We have a few days to bring down Fulcrum. With Chuck's big old brain …we have a fighting chance!"

Unbeknownst to Casey and Sarah at the very same moment, Chuck is entering the theatre room at Buy More. He pauses to make sure no one is around and he ejects a disc from Big Mike's video camera and leaves. Back in his car he flips the disc into his portable DVD player and begins watching the video. After a few moments, he slams his car door open and drops to the ground puking.

He returns home a mess. He enters his room and sits on his bed. He rummages into his pocket and pulls out the three pills that Casey gave him. He grabs one and gulps it down.

'No nightmares tonight Casey,' he says to himself. Overtaken by the pill, he collapses backward onto his bed. Asleep.

Time passes. Someone is at his window. The window opens and Sarah stealthily enters.

She whispers, "Chuck?' But gets no response.

She approaches him and sees that he is passed out. She takes off his shoes, turns off the light and covers him up. She sits down next to him and looks at him for awhile. Finally she bends down to kiss him.

She stops a few inches from his mouth and says, "You smell Chuck. What have you been doing?" She shrugs, kisses him on the forehead and leaves.


	6. Chapter 6 Preparing for Goodbye

Scene 6: Preparing for Goodbye

Chuck wakes up in his bedroom, but at first isn't willing to open his eyes. He hopes, that if he can lay still enough, he won't have to confront his life. He is almost sure he can do it…when he hears Ellie and Awesome talking in the kitchen.

He sighs, 'Ellie.'

Feeling sorry for himself won't help him or his sister. His time to prepare is wasting away.

Still dressed from the previous night, he gets up and heads towards the voices in the kitchen. Awesome is dressed in bike garb obviously preparing for a ride. Ellie is in the kitchen drinking coffee. She is in scrubs and is about to head to the hospital.

"Can you take me to work this morning, Ellie? The Nerd Herder is down."

"Sure. Hey do you want to grab breakfast? Awesome just ate the last piece of bread. I would love to get a muffin at that breakfast place on the beach. I can do it, if we go now."

"Perfect Ellie. Let me get dressed. Uh, re-dressed." Chuck returns to his bedroom thinking of his sister. She is so happy and steady. He is apprehensive but mixed with relief. He is about to tell his sister about his other life.

He hears Ellie calling for him and joins her at the front door. They laugh and joke as they jump into Ellie's Passat. It feels almost normal.

Ellie is ecstatic when she finds a metered spot close to the beach. There are only a few people on the beach, since its is early morning during the middle of the week. It is clear sky, but there is a brisk breeze. Ellie and Chuck hunker down in their jackets to stay warm.

They go to the Take Out Window of the Breakfast shop and purchase muffins and coffee. The wander down the sidewalk and then onto the beach. Chuck has grabbed a blanket from the trunk and a travel small case. He spreads out the blanket and they sit down and begin eating their breakfast, while enjoying the clear beach morning.

Finally, Chuck says, "Ellie, I need to tell you something."

She smiles. She knows her brother and can feel that he is about to tell her something important. She is quietly excited. She suspects that Chuck has something to tell her about Sarah. Are they going to move in together? Is she pregnant? Are they getting married? She finally blurts out, "This is about Sarah, right?"

'Yeah, but its not what you think. " He can see that Ellie is expecting good news and he is a bit overcome with the enormity of what he is about to say. She sees his expression and her smile begins to fade.

"Ellie, something bad has happened to me. I can't fix it and its real bad." This admission has opened up a flood of emotions. Chuck is near tears as continues. " I'm so sorry Ellie, I screwed up and its going to change everything. I'm not sure if I'm still going to be your brother."

Upset and afraid, Ellie grabs Chuck's hand and tells him, 'Chuck Bartowski, you will always be my brother and nothing will ever change that."

"I know you are not going to believe me at first. Because it's a crazy story. It began at Stanford, I just didn't know it then." He begins to tell Ellie about Bryce, why he was kicked out of school, the Intersect and finally why Sarah and Casey have entered his life.

Ellie is shocked by Chuck's story and unsure what to say. Finally she says, "Chuck I've known you for your entire life and I can tell that you believe what you're saying…but I want to think that you've had a nervous breakdown."

" Yeah Ellie, It would be way easier to think that I had gone crazy. It would be a lot easier getting mental help than to find someone who can help me. Anyway, I know this sounds crazy. That's why I brought proof."

"Proof. What kind of proof could you have?"

"Ellie. I haven't told you the worst yet. The government is currently having Sarah and Casey protect me. But once they have the Intersect rebuilt, they don't need me anymore. The government doesn't want the secrets to get out and so...they are now making plans to kill me."

Ellie's blue eyes fill with doubt. The story has gotten too improbable and she is beginning to doubt Chuck's sanity. She begins to list the possible affliction that her brother could be suffering from in her head.

Chuck sees that he is losing Ellie's trust. Frustrated, he unzips the travel case and opens up the DVD player. "This is a secret recording I did of a briefing that Sarah and Casey had with their bosses last night. I think you'll see what I mean when you watch the video."

Chuck plays the tape for Ellie. She is aghast. In disbelief, she replays the video several times. She stops the video at several points to look closely at Casey cleaning his gun and to look at the generals on the video screen. Finally, she is convinced of the truth. She turns to her brother and hugs him. "Oh my god, Chuck." Brother and sister hug. A life altering event has entered their lives.

"I thought she was supposed to protect you?" asks Ellie. Shaking her head, she muses, "I thought Sarah was your girlfriend. That she was different….that you were…that she...that you were a couple?"

"Ellie, Sarah and I were always just a cover story, so she could stay close to me. She doesn't care for me. You saw the tape. She didn't even react when she was ordered to kill me."

"But, I saw that girl. She must care. No one is that good of a liar." She bites her lip, and then with resolves, "Regardless Chuck, you can't trust her now. You have to run."

"I know. That's why I'm talking to you. I love you sis. But I have to leave you. If I don't leave, I'll be dead."

"What are you going to do?"

"I was thinking about Dad's Last Hurrah. No one knows about it and it can't be traced easily. Once I bolt every intelligence agency in the United States will be after me. And if any foreign governments find out about me…they'll be after me too."

'Do you really know that much? Isn't there someone else you can go to?'

"Like who Ellie? The CIA and NSA have deemed me a threat to well being of the country. I would kill me if I were them."

"You're not planning on doing anything stupid Chuck, are you?"

"Ellie. I just want a normal life. But cornered Ellie, I just don't know what I'd do. I didn't ask for this. Until a few months ago, I was just your normal screwed up little brother. Now, I'm this guy with a computer in his brain with all these secrets. What happens if someone gets something out of me that hurts people…maybe hurts you? I want to live Ellie…but not at any cost."

"Let's not talk about this Chuck. I can't talk about this. If you run, maybe no one will ever find you. What can I do?"

"Ellie, I just need you to help me slow down Casey and Sarah. They are so good, they scare me. I can run, but I need some time to get away. Bryce gave me a way to get money and ability to get travel papers. I just need time before they pull the net down around me. They have computers and bugs everywhere."

"Bugs? You mean listening devices. In our apartment?' Her eyes widen. "Do you think they heard me and Devon?'

Chuck grins. "I hear your quite passionate and I don't need a bug to attest to that!"

Ellie holds her head down mortified. Suddenly, she looks at Chuck and asks, "Chuck, isn't Bryce dead?' He gives her a goof ball grin. He nods no, and begins to tell her the rest of Bryce's story along with his plan.

Later, they walk back to the car hand-in-hand. Both know that that this probably is their last walk together.

When they get near her car, she bumps Chuck with her shoulder and says, "For what its worth, I can't believe that woman felt nothing."

"That woman?"

"Sarah." He only frowns, wishing it was true.

"Wishful thinking Ellie. I wish I could hope. But its time to face my reality. There is no hope."

He opens her car door and walks around to the passenger door. He slides into the car and says, " I guess its back to my so called life." They drive away.


	7. Chapter 7 Sarah's Resolve

Chap 7: Sarah's Resolve

Sarah was surprised when she arrived at Chuck's apartment to find that Chuck was gone. It was early morning and Chuck was normally just rolling out of bed. Awesome had just returned from his bike ride and explained sheepishly about the lack of food and that the Bartowski clan had gone to the beach for breakfast. Sarah was about to call Chuck, when Awesome pulled out his cell phone and called Ellie.

Awesome and Ellie chatted a few moments and he hung up the phone. "Hmm. That's funny. Ellie is going to take the day off. They'll be back in a few minutes."

This made Sarah feel better. She hadn't liked how their date had ended and she hoped to soothe it over this morning. In addition, she was a bit concerned that Chuck was in public without a bodyguard. Both Casey and Sarah had agreed that Chuck shouldn't be without personal protection until the current crisis was over. As such, she was more than a bit relieved when she saw Chuck walking towards the door.

In contrast, Chuck was not thrilled about seeing Sarah. He knew from Ellie's phone call that Sarah was at the house. As such, he used the walk between the car and the apartment to compose himself.

Unfortunately, he had not been as successful in calming Ellie. When Ellie had heard that Sarah was at the apartment, she had wanted to confront her. Chuck knew this was a very bad and a potentially dangerous idea. To keep the women apart, he had sent Ellie on some errands in preparation for his escape.

"Hi Sarah" quipped Chuck, trying to sound as normal as possible, as he entered.

"Hi" replied Sarah, taking in his unruly hair and disheveled appearance.

She was suddenly at a loss for what to say. Like Chuck, she sometimes had difficulty in expressing herself. She supposed, Chuck being a kindred spirit was one of reasons she found him so endearing. However, while Chuck stumbled through sentences, she had been trained to 'just smile' when she became nervous. As such, when Chuck looked directly at her, Sarah gave Chuck one of her most blazing smiles.

It was a heart breaking smile, and it took Chuck's breath away. Here was a woman planning to kill him. Yet her smile could illicit such strong feelings from him. Emotions overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes and made a concerted effort to gain control of his breathing.

Seeing his reaction, she reached out for him and asked, 'Are you okay?"

"Just perfect" he replied. He ignores her outreached hand and escapes into to the kitchen.

Sarah was disappointed by his rebuff. His reaction wasn't surprising, but she had hoped for more. Resigned, she followed him into the kitchen and whispered, "I've come to take you to work."

"What for?" He knew why, but for some inexplicable reason he wanted Sarah to explain.

"We got some Intelligence last night that things might be heating up and I wanted to keep you a bit closer than usual. I don't want anything… unforeseen to happen."

His stomach churned in response to her vague reply. He had hoped for some sign of sincerity from her.

His heart in tatters, he nods. "Let me get my stuff together. I'm ready to go."

Their drive to Buy More is quiet. Sarah is engrossed in checking for tails and other threats to their safety. Her intuition is screaming at her. She knows that she is missing something.

Glancing at Chuck, she realizes that meeting him has changed her. Chuck has somehow released her bottled up emotions and she had begun to think of him as her own.

She remembered the Club Ares incident. She had left her hand on Chuck's shoulder a little longer than necessary in front of Lou. She knew that she had done it intentionally, but never quite understood why. Today as she worried for Chuck's safety, she knew that her feelings went way beyond the bounds of her assignment. She now understood that she had been subtly marking her territory.

She had not felt any strong attachment with anyone since the loss of her sister. Bryce had hurt, but he had not broken into her emotional reserve. However, with Chuck it was different. Even without defining the feelings between them, she knew that he was hers.

The cold determination that has kept her safe in so many countless missions suddenly began to rush through her body. She knew her abilities and her resolve. She would not let anyone, or anything, take Chuck from her. At least...she told herself...not without a hell of a fight.

During this epiphany, Sarah's driving had become steadily more aggressive. Chuck, who had initially been ignoring Sarah, became attentive as their drive turned near death defying. Sarah seem to be changing as he watched her. He was becoming like ice.

He had seen this part of her in small glimpses before. But it had normally preceded some violent event….like the time when she pulled a gun on him or when she almost broke his arm in the bathroom. Suddenly it occurred to him that she was preparing herself for her next assignment. He gulped. This boded very badly for him.

He was greatly relieved when they arrived at the Buy More. Like a drill sergeant, she purposely marched him into the store.

However, as they entered Chuck stopped mid-step, as a series of convoluted images triggered in his head. Sarah instantly knew that he is in the midst of a 'flash.' She grabbed his arm and dragged him to a side aisle away from the door.

"What is it Chuck?"

"There are several Fulcrum agents in the building. They know the Intersect works here but they don't know who it is."

Sarah covertly peered around the corner. "Damn, I know one of them. They will spot me in a second. Quick, take off your GPS watch and drop it on the floor. These agents can identify you by the watch."

Chuck drops the watch to the ground and Sarah hustles him towards the door.

Unbeknown to them, Morgan sees Chuck drop his watch. Thinking it's a mistake, he races over and picks up the watch and examines it for a moment.

"Dude, this is Chuck's watch. He'll be bummed if he loses the watch Sarah gave him. " Being a good friend, he puts the watch on his wrist. He will return it when he sees Chuck again. Just then a man approaches Morgan.

As Sarah and Chuck reach the door, they hear a commotion behind them.

"Don't call me an insect, dude! My name is Morgan! Take your hands off me!" Sarah and Chuck turn to see Morgan being escorted through the back stockroom doors by two grey suited Fulcrum agents.


	8. Chapter 8: More Fists and Angst

Chapter 8

Seeing Morgan carted away tilted Chuck's world. He grabbed Sarah's arm and agonized, "My God Sarah! Morgan is in trouble. "

She had been trying to push Chuck out the door quickly in hopes that he wouldn't see what was happening to Morgan. However, when she looked into Chuck's stricken face, it stopped her cold. Her professional training was screaming in her brain to grab Chuck and run. But Chuck's face had stopped her. She couldn't ignore his plea. She had to try to help Morgan even as she struggled to keep Chuck safe.

In her most demanding voice she ordered, "Chuck, leave now! Take my keys. I'll go back and protect Morgan. But you need to get away from here! Call Casey and let him know the situation. Go back to my hotel and wait. Don't go home, it may be comprised."

"No, " Chuck began to argue with Sarah. Seeing that he was preparing to fight with in the midst of their precarious position, she took control. She grabbed his hand and twisted it until his entire arm was locked behind his back and he was hunched over.

"Chuck if you don't do what I say right now, you will force me to hurt you. I told you I would try to help Morgan." She took in a deep breath and continued, "Fulcrum doesn't want to kill the Intersect, and they just want information. It will take time before Fulcrum realizes that Morgan is the wrong guy. But if you fight me on this, you will force me to hurt you and leave Morgan. It's your choice, Chuck. Are you going to do what I say?"

"Yes. "

Upon hearing his agreement, she released arm. Chuck turned and looked at her. He was shocked that she would physically manhandle him. She hadn't done that since they first met. Seeing the turmoil in his eyes, her professional demeanor dropped for a second.

"Chuck, I'm sorry. It's just that there's no time…"

"You were right, Sarah. Just go save Morgan. I'll leave." He grabbed her keys and sprints towards the front doors.

Sarah watched Chuck leave. A sigh of relief escaped her once Chuck neared the safety of the front doors. Her next step would be to extract Morgan from this mess without getting herself killed. She turned and rushed towards the back of the store.

Unbeknownst to Sarah, as Chuck sprinted through towards the front door he covertly veered to his left into the small security office at the front of the store. Once locked inside, he pulled out his cell phone and called Casey to explain the situation.

-o-

Sarah systematically began checking the back stockrooms at Buy More. In the far back docking bay, she finally spied two Fulcrum agents and Morgan through a small window in the stockroom door. The agents had Morgan tied up in a chair facing away from the door. The agents were engrossed in interrogating him. She smirked. She knew that it was bad form for both agents to be fully involved in the interrogation. One agent should have been guarding the door. She knew it was her opportunity.

Quickly, Sarah entered the docking bay through the storeroom doors going straight for the two Fulcrum agents. Her idea was to attack the agents in a fast frontal type assault with an element of surprise. She attacked the closest agent who was kneeled down interrogating a tied up Morgan. As she approached the agent she flung her left foot squarely in the agents' face using Morgan's chair for support. The blow hit the agent squarely in the jaw. The agents' jaw snapped back with a muffled 'oomph' as her hard soled shoe hit bone. Quickly she turned her attention on the second agent who has stood up and in an attempt to pull his gun. She swiveled forward onto Morgan's lap and grabbed the agent arm and slammed it backwards on Morgan's chair. The agent yelped as his forearm broke and he dropped the gun. She then swiveled around and kicked him in the groin doubling the agent over in pain. Seeing the back of his neck, she swiftly landed a second blow at the base of his neck knocking him unconscious.

Morgan is able to see Sarah take out the second agent. He looks up at Sarah and says, "How did you do that?"

"Military brat."

"Wow. I didn't know they taught that to girls. Chuck better never piss you off."

She grins briefly and unties him. There are still more agents in the building. She needs to hide Chuck's identity. Suddenly an idea comes to her. "Listen Morgan, Chuck is in trouble. He got caught hacking into some computers and the FBI wants to talk to him. We need to cover for him until he can get the government to understand it was a misunderstanding."

From the corridor, she hears another agent yell, "Clear." Morgan and Sarah have moments before they are discovered. Suddenly Morgan grabs Sarah and begins kissing her passionately.

Sarah is bewildered. She attempts to push him away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm Chuck. You're my girlfriend." Sarah hesitates for a second as she processing Morgan's words. She realizes that Morgan is ridiculous.

Just as she begins to push Morgan away, he slips his tongue into her mouth. She is grossed out by the invasion and even further shocked as Morgan throws her against the wall and kisses her more deeply.

Anger rushes through her. She is going to kick Morgan's ass. She grabs Morgan and is about to make him sorry when another two Fulcrum agents walk through the stockroom doors with their guns drawn.

"Well, well, well…if isn't the Intersect and his girlfriend? The name is Sarah this time?"

Clueless, Morgan asks, "Why do feebies keep calling me insect?"

"Feebies?" asks one of the Fulcrum agents.

Sarah rolls her eyes. "I think he means FBI agents." She recognizes one of the Fulcrum agents from her training days as a CIA operative. This could be helpful.

"Woman, let me do the speaking here. Females should be seen and not heard." He attempts to grab her in a suggestive manner. Sarah looks incredulously at Morgan. She grasps that he's trying to be protective of her.

However, Morgan's foolishness may get them both hurt. Chuck never got in the way. She realizes that the situation might be better if she temporarily immobilized Morgan. She covertly begins to position herself….

The Fulcrum agents become alarmed at Sarah's actions. They both have been briefed on her combat skills and in a comprised situation, she may feel the need to eliminate the Intersect. One of the agents grab her arm, while the other pulls Morgan away from Sarah.

The Fulcrum agent who grabbed her arm is actually one of the agents she trained with at the 'Farm." He looks sympathetically at her and says, "How long have you had to protect that moron?"

Remembering his name, she says, "Too long. How have you been Carl? It's been a long time since Virginia." Sarah smiles at Carl, remembering that he had been sweet on her during their training days.

"Not bad…uh…Sarah…right? My code name is Mike now."

-o-

After hanging up the phone with Casey, Chuck begins exploring the security room. He manipulates different buttons on the video monitoring control panel. Finally he finds the switch that allows him to switch between video feeds. Flipping through numerous cameras, he finally finds Morgan and Sarah who have been captured in the back docking bay. He then quickly scans the other cameras counting two additional Fulcrum agents on the store room floor.

He calls Casey who is in route to the store. He relays the number of Fulcrum agents in the store and the location of Sarah and Morgan.

Relieved that he can do no more, he switches back to the camera feed of Sarah and Morgan and begins watching.

He notices that the monitor says 'video/sound feed.' Excited, he thinks he might be in luck. He starts hitting other buttons. Finally, he finds the correct button and the surveillance room speakers begin telecasting the conversations in the docking bay.

-o-

Sarah smiles at Carl. She can tell that he still is attracted to her. Maybe she can use it to her advantage.

Carl orders the other agent to take Morgan to the far side of the docking bay and tie and blindfold him again. The agents want to keep the Intersect from getting information about them. Both Carl and Sarah can hear Morgan whining about being tied up a second time and why is everyone continuing to call him 'insect'.

Carl/Mike turns to Sarah and asks, "How in the hell did you do to land up in that wiener outfit and playing the girlfriend to this moron?" He points towards Morgan and gives Sarah a not very covert wink after eyeing her outfit. He obviously likes the wiener girl outfit.

Ignoring Carl's appraisal, Sarah responds, "Long story. You probably heard. I screwed up with Bryce Larkin and this is my penance. "

"You're kidding? You fall for the wrong guy and as punishment you're forced to take on the long term cover of being the girlfriend of the moron…. I mean the Intersect?"

"You got it Carl. One day I'm an international operative working Rome, Paris, London and the next….I've screwed up and I'm the Wienerlicious fry girl fighting off the advances of her fake Buy More boyfriend. It's been a tough assignment to stomach."

-o-

Chuck feels like he has been hit in the gut. Finally, he has heard something real from Sarah. Hadn't he always suspected that she must harbor these feelings?

His cell phone rings. He answers. "Hello?"

"Chuck, its Casey, I'm at the back loading docks. Can you buzz me in the side door without the Fulcrum agents knowing?"

"I think so. Hold on." Chuck switches the video feed to the back door. He sees Casey along with two additional agents. Casey must have called in the cavalry. Chuck starts fiddling with more buttons on the control panel. He finally finds the button that buzzes open the back door. He hits the button and watches as Casey and the other agents enter covertly through the back door.

-o-

"You know Carl…I mean Mike, I always thought that we might have hooked up, but then I got all caught up with Bryce and well…look how that turned out. Luckily, my assignment is almost near the end."

Suddenly worried, Carl asks, "What do you mean near the end?"

"Hasn't Fulcrum briefed you? The CIA/NSA has almost re-built the real Intersect and the human Intersect…." she points to Morgan "….will no longer be of use. Once this occurs, my penance is over and I'll be back in Langley. Believe me, the CIA has done me no favors on this assignment. "

Sarah has been assessing the docking area looking for things to use as weapons as she talks with Carl. She hears a small sound to her right. Deftly she glances to her right and sees that Casey has positioned himself to attack the agent holding Morgan. He is motioning to her that she will need to take out Carl.

Carl looks at her appreciatively and says, "You know Fulcrum could always use more help. Maybe we can work something out here, and when you get back to Langley we can meet up. I'm sure I can help you forget this assignment." Sarah gives Carl one of her best smiles. She really dislikes this guy.

Knowing that Sarah is diverting Carl's attention, Casey jumps the other agent. Hearing the attack behind him, he momentary glances away from Sarah. Sarah immediately attacks Carl.

Casey has a relatively easy time of disabling the other agent who was securing Morgan. Glancing over at Sarah, he sees that she is struggling with the other agent, who is a good fighter.

Casey is about to assist Sarah, when she grabs her leg in pain from a kick that the other agent has managed to land. The Fulcrum agent thinking that he has hurt Sarah, stops his assault. Casey chuckles to himself.

"Stupid move moron," mumbles Casey to himself.

Sarah, who has been bent over in pain, suddenly takes her knee and jams it up into the Fulcrum agent's groin. Cark keels over in pain. Sarah then grabs his head and rams it against the docking bay doors knocking the agent out.

Standing over the unconscious agent, Sarah muses to herself that tomorrow Carl's head is going to hurt. She nudges his body to make sure he is unconscious. She whispers to herself, "Chuck is 100 better boyfriend than you could be." Besides she muses, she likes her life now.

Sarah walks over to Casey. "We've just captured four Fulcrum agents. We are bound to get some good intelligence from them. "

"Good thought Walker! We actually have six. I've dispatched two agents to grab two more Fulcrum agents on the sales floor. Let me go check on Chuck up front. Can you handle things here?"

"Chuck's still here? I sent him away!" exclaims Sarah. She is suddenly worried and a little annoyed that he has disobeyed her again.

"He's hold up in the Security Room watching out for you. He buzzed me in through the side door."

She looks up at the ceiling and sees the cameras. She is still annoyed that he disobeyed a direct order. But she also realizes that Chuck wouldn't leave her in a dangerous situation. She feels a warm, unfamiliar feeling knowing that he didn't leave her.

-o-

Casey knocks on the door to the security room. A pensive Chuck opens the door.

"Agent Walker is not very happy with you."

Chuck gulps. "I know." He throws Sarah's car keys at Casey. "Here are her car keys. Give them back to her. I'm out of here."

Casey catches the keys and says, "Sarah and I will do clean up here and give Morgan some dumb ass story. He'll believe anything. I had agents stationed at your house to protect Ellie and Awesome. They have reported no covert activity, so you should be okay to go home."

Chuck just nods and starts for the door. At the last second Casey stops Chuck and says, "Good job today."

Chuck grins a bit at the compliment, but is intent on leaving quickly. He still feels the punch in the gut from Sarah's comments to the Fulcrum agent.


	9. Chapter 9: The Goodbye

_a/n: I've made a few wording changes. I wasn't happy with a few passages and I think I've made them more readable._

Chap 9: The Goodbye

_Sarah is in her hotel room straightening up. She is a bundle of nervous energy and is searching for ways to preoccupy herself. Chuck is coming over and it is the first time she has seen him since the Fulcrum attack. In her head, she knows that he is safe from both Fulcrum and the government's termination order. However on a emotional level, she needs to connect with him…to see him…to touch him. She is way past comprised. _

-o-

Sarah saw the red light flash on her receiver that monitored her surveillance sensors covertly placed along the hallway leading to her hotel room. She had taken a room at the far end of a long hallway where there was little traffic at her hotel. Only people who were speifically visiting her room should be walking along the corridor. She went to the door and looked through the peep hole. She saw Chuck at the door fumbling with an array of take out bags.

Before he could knock, she opened the door. "Thanks Chuck for picking up dinner."

Chuck was puzzled. How did she always know when he was about to arrive at her door? She saw his puzzlement and grinned. It was a game that Chuck and her had been playing for awhile. She absently mused that maybe she would tell him about the sensors soon.

Ignoring his chagrin, Chuck relayed, "No problem. It's the least that I could do considering that you saved Morgan's life." He notices that Sarah was dressed in form fitting jeans and a blue, low cut v-neck t-shirt that showed her ample cleavage.

Chuck's gaze momentary stopped at her cleavage. Catching himself, he swiftly looked up into her face. Their gazes locked. They both knew what he was doing. What he didn't suspect was that she had deliberately dressed to get this reaction from him. She grinned to put him at ease, and ushered him through the door.

"It's my job. But I am happy that Morgan is okay. He's kind of grown on me, even though his behavior was a little less than desirable…."

"Morgan told me about your Buy More encounter." Chuck made an incredulous face.

"He did?" inquired Sarah. She was surprised that Morgan was that forthright.

"Yeah, he is right proud of it. He started to tell me in detail what happened. But to be honest, it was TMI. However, I am surprised you didn't do a spy maneuver and taken him out when he got you lip locked."

Suddenly Sarah's face turned dangerous. It looked almost feral as she contemplated Chuck's remarks.

Worried by her suddenly dangerous expression, Chuck stammered, "Sarah…no…I didn't mean…"

Sarah laughed and started laying out the take-out food on the table. "I was only kidding. What type of food did you get?'

Sarah began exploring the bags of food. Chuck had picked out all her favorites. She knew that he had ade a point of learning her preferences. It was his way of connecting to the 'real' part of her.

"I got take-out from your favorite Japanese restaurant and I got that yucky green tea that you like."

She was touched. She stoped rummaging through the food and fought to hold her composure. His careful regard for her had sparked her earlier need to touch him. She suddenly wanted to wrap herself around him, to prove to herself that he was safe. She knew that she can't do what her body was aching for. Most men see her only sexually. But Chuck, he saw her as a complete person. Or at least he tried, even though he didn't know a single thing about her real identity.

Tension filled the room. She looked up at him and saw his endlessly brown eyes bleeding for her. Words stuck in her throat. There were so many things that she wanted him to know, but she couldn't tell him because it would comprise her mission. She remembered their glorious kiss.

When she thought they both were going to die, she wanted him to know how she felt. When she kissed him, she had no idea how much passion would be awakened. She had meant for their embrace to a wistful goodbye. However the moment their lips met, there was an electrifying spark that traveled between them.

Her body had immediately reacted to their kiss. And when he began to kiss her back, it was like an explosion taking place between them. He had crushed her to his chest so hard, he could feel her nipples harden. It had rocked both of them. Her body had acted of its own accord, making her arch herself even closer so she could grind her breasts even harder against him. She remembered grabbing his collar to pull him into even a deeper kiss. In that moment, Sarah had wanted Chuck with her whole being…..

And just like before, Sarah was poised to grab Chuck for another toe curling encounter. And just like before, Sarah was reacting to a timer placed upon his life. The only difference was that he didn't know about the timer set by his very own government, when they had issued his termination order.

Elated that she was able to have the termination order rescinded, Sarah physically needed to communicate her relief. She wanted to be in Chuck's arms again. She was acutely aware that her bed was close at hand, and if she touched Chuck…it was unlikely that they would be willing to stop.

Sarah professional life had never warred with her personal feeling in such a manner. She stopped kissing Chuck and trembled as her head and body fought for control. Finally she tore herself away from him and turned away.

"Sarah, are you okay? " whispered Chuck. Puzzlement by her demeanor, he gently touched her shoulders and hugged her from behind. It was what she needed. She looked at his hands on her shoulders and felt their warmth. She leaned back into him and reveled in his warmth. It was like a piece of a puzzle that slid into place. She no longer had a choice. Her decision had been made.

Sarah turnd in his arms and grabbed his collar. She pulled his head down and captured his lips with her own. He was hers. She no longer wanted to fight her feelings. Together, they feel so normal and connected. Chuck began to kiss her and she swore that she was in heaven.

-o-

Across town, Casey was also in a upbeat mood. The Bartowski situation had been mitigated. Hearing Chuck's termination order had been a difficult moment for him. It did not reconcile with his own moral code. If he had completed the termination order, he knew that it would have taken a chunk of his soul. Besides, if he actually did terminate Chuck, Walker would have gone all "Rambo like" on him, and either he or she would be dead.

Chuck was over at Sarah's tonight, doing God knows what. He didn't even want to think about it. Walker was in some serious trouble with her personal feelings. However, she had maintained her head even when the termination order had been issued. Few of the agents he had worked with over the years had as much professionalism as her. As such, he couldn't really complain about his partner too much.

Since Chuck was gone, he had minimal surveillance duties tonight. He was amusing himself listening to Ellie Bartowski. He liked the female doctor and was listening to her via the bugs that he had placed throughout the Bartowski home. She was baking his favorite type of cookies and he was contemplating a good excuse to knock on Ellie's door. He knew that she would offer him cookies, if he could just come up with a reasonable excuse for stopping by.

Lost in thought, he was startled as he heard a knock on the door. He went to the door and saw that it was Ellie. He relaxed and opened the door. "Yes?"

"Hi Casey. I'm baking cookies and I know you loved them at Thanksgiving. Anyway, I thought I'd be neighborly and bring some over."

Casey was ecstatic. "Thanks Ellie. I owe you one!"

She just smiled and said, "Just looking out for my little brother."

They exchangd goodbyes and he went into his kitchen. Casey poured a glass of milk, so he could chow down on Ellie's cookies. He grabbed a few cookies and decided that he needed to start reviewing some of the surveillance tapes taken at Buy More. He had several tapes that he hadn't reviewed, due to all the craziness with Chuck recently.

He started looking at an after-hour surveillance tape of the Buy More store. There usually was no activity, except when Big Mike had a date. He pushe the fast forward button and began watching the tape in fast forward mode. He grabbed two more cookies and was surprised to see Chuck on the video tape entering the store after hours.

"That's odd." He slowed the tape to normal speed and watched Chuck as he headed into the theatre room. He watched as Chuck grabbed something behind one of stereo systems arranged on the back wall. He puts something into his pocket and proceeded to leave the building. Casey drank some milk and ate two more cookies.

He saw Chuck pass through the Buy More doors. Casey's curiosity was piqued. He changed the tape to view the outside surveillance cameras. Something didn't feel right. Finding the right time in the tape, he began watching Chuck as he got into the Nerd Herder. A few seconds later, he saw Chuck open his car door and roll out of the car onto his hands and knees. He watched as Chuck began to puke beside the car door.

'What the hell?" Casey stopped the tape and used the zoom feature to look inside the car. It's grainy but he saw a DVD player. Casey doesn't understand what had upset Chuck. Then an idea occurred to him. He grabbed the outside of the tape and checked the date.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it. You don't understand Chuck," mumbled Casey. He realized that Chuck thought that Sarah and Casey had orders to kill him. Alarmed, he recognized that he needed to warn Sarah. Chuck could do something stupid and potentially dangerous to Sarah, his feelings impaired partner.

He jumped up and raced across the room to his phone. Half away across the room, his head started to spin wildly.

"Oh hell. The cookies!"

He remembered giving the narcotic, Sweet Dreams, to Chuck. Ellie must have used it to drug him. She did say something about protecting her little brother. He grimaced. He should have caught that.

He had only a few seconds to warn Sarah before the drug rendered him immobile. He lurched to the phone and hit the speed dial.

-o-

Sarah had Chuck's shirt off. She had stripped off her t-shirt and was in her bra and jeans. They were kneeling on her bed and she was arched back in his arms. Sarah was enjoying his lips as he planted kisses on her breasts through the sheer fabric of her bra. If he didn't stop fumbling with the bra clasp, she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. With her eyes closed and her head thrown back, she grinned devilishly at her own thoughts.

Her phone rang. He groaned in frustration. "Ignore it."

She reached up to his mouth and began kissing him on the lips. She had no intention of stopping to answer her phone. Her tongue darted into his mouth.

The phone rang again. She recognized the special ringtone. She groaned. "Damn. It's Casey. I have to answer it. It could be about you."

She pulled away from him and got off the bed. She walked to the table and grabbed her tea container. She turned and looked at Chuck who was laying on the bed with his arm draped over his closed eyes. She smiled at his obvious discomfort below the waist.

"Those jeans look awfully uncomfortable. We are going to have fix that," she sexily taunted him. "God, you make me parched," she mused. She gulped down the last of her tea.

Alarmed, he looked up at her. "Sarah, no don't….."

Ignoring his plea, "I have to answer the phone." She put the empty tea container down, and moved to answer the phone.

She picked up the phone. "Code Blue," uttered Casey, just before she heard the phone drop through the receiver. Code Blue meant that Chuck had been comprised and should be considered dangerous. She didn't understand. Chuck couldn't be dangerous.

She turned to look at Chuck and was surprised as the room started to swoon. Suddenly, Chuck was much closer to her than he should be. Warning bells sounded in her head. She lunged for her gun which was in her holster on the bedside table. Chuck grabbed her. She could barely hold her head up. She knew she had been drugged.

"Ssshhh, Sarah. I was trying to tell you not to drink the tea. But maybe this is for the best."

She tried to struggle. "Don't fight it, you'll only hurt yourself. It's Sweet Dreams. I think you're familiar with it." He shifted his hold on her as she became more limp. Finally, when she can no longer stand, he picked her up. He knew that the full force of the drug had started to take control of Sarah's body.

He carried her to the bed and laid her in his lap. He looks down out her. Her eyes were wide. She could hear him but was unable to move.

"Sarah, I'm sorry." He tenderly kissed her on the mouth.

"I don't know what tonight was. It felt so real. But God, I never know what's real and what isn't with you. " He placed his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes, unable to meet her gaze.

"I know you have orders to kill me. I don't know…maybe you were giving me tonight because you were going to have to kill me in the morning or maybe you weren't going to go through with whatever was happening tonight. I just don't know."

He was trembling as he held her. Sarah was aghast. Her heart was breaking over the pain she had caused him. She wanted to hold him and kiss away his doubts about her feelings and her intentions.

He opened his eyes and looked into her eyes. " I had to drug you and Casey. As much as I'm drawn to you Sarah, I also want to live. So I have to run. I know I could never get away from you guys, unless I slowed you down. So it was Sweet Dreams for you and for Casey. "

His gaze dropped to her mouth. " Don't you see….I have to fight back,…even…if its against you.." He kissed her lips in an achingly tender way.

Sarah stared at Chuck as he poured out his soul to her. She couldn't move. A tear falls down the side of her face. She wanted to hold Chuck and comfort him. She had never let herself define her feelings for him. She has always known that she felt possessively towards him and had some lust filled thoughts…but in this breathtaking moment….she knew that she more than cared…she loved him.

"Sarah, I hate this. All these secrets in my brain. I wish it never happened. But if I hadn't…I never would have met you. So how could I ever wish that?"

He strokes her hair and placed her delicately upon the bed.

"I'm running Sarah. I'm not sure how far I'll get. I'm just not ready to die yet."

This scared Sarah. The idea of Chuck, out in the world without her protection, made her heart race. She couldn't let him go. She tried to speak, but it came out as a moan.

He looked at her for a moment. He looked so forlorn. He walked around the bed and picked up her holstered gun. When Chuck picked up her weapon, her heart missed a beat.

Chuck saw that his actions had scared her. He quickly laid the gun on the table near the door and returned to her. "Sarah, I could never hurt you. The gun is for me. It's kind of poetic really. If It looks like I'm going to be captured, I will put a bullet in my head."

She screamed in her head.

"I'm not unpatriotic Sarah. If it comes down to being forced to tell secrets that could hurt a lot of people or killing myself…I swear Sarah that I'll be brave enough to do it. I'll even use the same gun that was supposed to have killed me in the first place. Your gun, Sarah."

So overwrought with emotion, Chuck does not see that Sarah was crying. Tears were streaming down the side of her face. However, the drug continued to keep her body motionless.

He tucked a blanket around her, then whisphered softly, "Before all this craziness started, I think I might have been falling for you. Now…I think the only thing I have left is my imagining what could have been…"

He bent down and wistfully kissed her on the forehead. He mumbled goodbye and walked out the door.

Sarah was barely able to focus, but her last thought before succumbing to sleep, was that she didn't think she could live without him.

-o-

Chuck and Ellie walked down the wooden pier. Ellie was crying. Chuck looked like he was about to cry. They stopped in front of a mid-size sailboat. On its stern, the words, 'Last Hurrah' were painted in cursive.

"Mr. Kennedy has really taken good care of Dad's boat," remarked Chuck.

"Yes, he has. He totally understood when I told him about you taking it on a wanderbout to honor Dad's memory. He didn't ask very many questions and the boat is in his name with no connections to us. It should be untraceable."

"Ellie I need to warn you. The government might use sodium penthenol on you; to find out where I've gone."

"I have that covered Chuck. I'll be taking adrenaline. It should counteract the effects of any truth serum. It's lucky that I'm a doctor. Even if they grab me, they will eventually believe that I don't know where you went."

"You won't know where I'm going. It's for your safety. But you will know how I'm traveling and that's still dangerous. So be careful, sis. I love you and I don't want to be responsible for anything bad happening to you."

"I'll be careful and I love you too, Chuck," said Ellie. After a moment of hesitation, she continued, "I think I'll hate Sarah until my dying day."

"Don't hate her. I think I might love her…even though she's supposed to kill me. Ironic eh? My famous Bartowski luck has me in love with my own assassin." Chuck grimaced. He jumped down onto the boat. "I guess it's time to go."

He drank in one last look at Ellie and started untying the boat from the dock. Finally unmoored, he took in a calming breath. He waved to his sister and used the boats' small motor to begin maneuvering out of the marina.

Ellie watched him as he left the safe waters of the harbor. She pondered his last words.

Grimacing, Ellie muttered, "That's why I'll hate Sarah until my dying day."

Ellie turned and walked to her car, while she contemplated her brother and his dangerous flight into the unknown.

-o-

Once safely in open waters, Chuck went below deck and returned with a hat. He placed it on his head. The Intersect had miraculously told him the times when the NSA satellites would take photos of the vessels traveling along the coast. Based upon this information, he miraclously assure that the government couldn't get a picture of him.

He realized that he might be more difficult to find than he originally thought. The Intersect had never helped him personally before. But then again, he never really needed its help before.

He sat down and pointed the boat a bit farther out to sea. He was in for a very long journey with only thoughts of a long blond haired spy to keep him company.

--

_Authors note: Sorry about the delay in the two last chapters. I had quite a bit of difficulty in writing about Sarah, who is still quite closed off in the actual tv show. In my first iteration of the ending, Sarah & Chuck did not get together because of her need not be comprised. _

_However, I realized that they needed to show a part of the emotional & physical relationship prior to his departure. I wasn't quite sure how to do this until I realized that the termination order would bring up all the same feelings that Sarah had prior to the INFAMOUS KISS . _

_Anyway a few goodbye kisses will help strengthen their relationship for the rollercoaster ahead. _

_Hopefully, I did all the characters justice in this particular piece of fan fiction. _

_There is a sequel to this story. I think the sequel will be named, Sarah vs. The Long Flight. _

_I'll start it in January 2008. I hope you all have a happy holidays. Thanks for reading and the great reviews._


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